Brian supports people in becoming who they aspire to be.
Therapeutic Approach
I work with clients to develop practical skills to live more authentic and fulfilling lives. I do this by collaborating with clients to clarify their core values, interrupt patterns of ineffective or counterproductive coping strategies, and actively center their priorities to gain connection and focus on what matters to them most.
I specialize in working with clients experiencing burnout, or at risk of burnout, due to high-stress careers, lack of connection or meaning in the workplace, as well as complex trauma and vicarious trauma.
I'm the best fit for clients seeking an empathetic, knowledgeable, and attentive therapist. Finding joy and being playful are essential to me. I don't hesitate to relate through pop culture, music, and humor. On the more clinical side of my training, I blend tools from DBT, ACT, and MBSR into a unique therapeutic approach tailor-made for each client.
Honors and Awards
Beverly Jean Howard Award for Excellence in Social Work- “Social Worker of the Year”
University of Michigan - Michigan Medicine
March 2021
Founder’s Day Award - “Team of the Year: Rush Wellness”
Rush University Medical Center
September 2023
Golden Rose Award - “Outstanding Service Excellence”
Oregon Health & Science University
March 2017
More about Brian’s Work
I earned my master’s degree in social work at Portland State University in 2017 as part of the Integrated Care Program, a scholarship program that trains social workers to practice mental healthcare in strategically coordinated medical settings. I spent the formative years of my career as a hospital social worker at the University of Michigan. In March 2020, I volunteered to be the lead social worker on the Covid ICU at Michigan Medicine at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. That experience made me passionate about protecting the mental wellbeing of workers in healthcare and provided me with a front-row seat to professional and personal burnout.
Informed by my experiences in healthcare, I began working full-time as a therapist for medical staff and graduate students in 2021. My area of practice has broadened beyond healthcare workers, and I recognize the patterns of burnout in many of my clients across a wide range of professions and stages of life. I support my clients in avoiding and fighting off burnout and balancing their work lives, family priorities and responsibilities, and their personal ambitions and fulfillment.
I am passionate about working with people with marginalized identities, and I have personal experience living with disability and as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.
— Carl Jung
Outside of Work
It’s important to me to live a well-rounded life. When I’m not working, I enjoy riding bikes, learning to cook, and watching movies. I am a comedy performer and writer. I love walking my dog, practicing gentle yoga and meditation, and exploring new places. I was raised in California and welcome the challenge of midwest winters.
